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Visit the WRGreens booth to say hi and chat about green issues, where we’ll have a button making table for kids of all ages!

But of course the real point of it all is the music! We’re looking forward to hearing indie Juno nominee Alysha Brilla (pictured below with Bob after her performance at the GPO Earth Day Rally.
For a taste of the program check out the promo:

Hope to see you there!

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When I was living hours away, though my parents got older, I never had to worry they’d need help with the yard, or that they’d be snowed in, because they were blessed with wonderful neighbors. My parents befriended young Henk, the immigrant farm hand who lived in the tiny house next door. Perhaps because my father’s mother had once been an immigrant farm worker, or maybe because my stepmom had spent much of her own life away, and the friendship grew when Henk married Bettina.

The young couple raised their kids and took over the operation of the modern dairy operation across the road. Although my Dad never regretted his own decision not to go into the family farm business, I know he was glad of the chance to see how a modern Canadian dairy farm was run. Henk gave him at least one guided tour, and Dad (whose childhood on the farm didn’t include indoor plumbing) was tickled by the idea that modern Canadian cows were give showers!

When my own family moved back to the Elmira area, although my son played soccer against their sons (the “Shuurrmanators”) one year, I didn’t really know Henk and Bettina Schuurmans myself. But every year I’d see their Christmas card on my parent’s fridge. And later, when my mom went to live in the nursing home, I know Bettina would visit her.

@DairyOntario tweeted: “SaskMilk and DFO have set up a GoFundMe to assist the family with costs. If you wish to contribute, you may do so here: gofundme

Don’t take my word for it. Here’s the complete peer reviewed scientific study of the macroeconomic effects in the prestigious scientific journal Nature. Up to $4 trillion in global oil investments will evaporate as the world transitions to a low carbon future. The idea that there’s a market for this poor quality product is pure fiction. Bitumen is particularly vulnerable to major shifts in the oil and gas market because production is expensive when compared to extraction techniques used in the Middle East. That means bitumen markets will be the first to collapse when demand slows significantly, making Canada particularly vulnerable. Throwing more good money away on the bitumen market at this time is climate denial as economic policy and flies in the face of what is already happening in global markets where we can all see it. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-018-0182-1.epdf

“By 2020, the IMO has mandated that the commercial fleets it represents can only buy and burn ship engine oil with a sulphur content of 0.5%. That is a 700% reduction from the current average. It has been estimated that the 15 largest ocean vessels currently emit as much sulphur annually as all of the world’s cars.
…
Alberta bitumen will likely be a big loser, because it contains on average some 11 times more sulphur than conventional crude, and results in a high ratio of low-grade Bunker C when refined. As of 2020, according to industry reports, U.S. refinery purchases of diluted bitumen for ship fuel will begin slowing to an eventual trickle, Europe will buy none because it has the wrong refinery profile, and Asian refiners will dedicate new refineries to produce low-sulphur diesel for ship fuel.”

Electric vehicles alone could displace oil demand of 2 million barrels a day as early as 2023, creating a global a glut of oil equivalent to what triggered the 2014 oil crisis, and that’s just one example.

The claim that additional pipeline capacity to tidewater will unlock significantly higher prices for bitumen is not corroborated by either past or current market conditions. Recent international commitments to reduce global carbon emissions over the next three decades will significantly reduce the size of future oil markets. Only the lowest-cost producers will remain commercially viable while high-cost producers will be forced to exit the market.

Canadians get exactly one opportunity to play a leadership role in the growing economy of the future. If we decide not to step up, we will be left in its dust. Fossil industries cannot sustain us in a world that is moving away from the use of fossil energies. They’re yesterday, not our tomorrow.

In fact, the health care savings alone from shifting away from fossil fuels more than makes the transition to renewable energy pay for itself, not to mention that it also means saving lives. Again, you don’t have to take my word for it, so here’s another full scientific study published in a peer reviewed journal for you to read in full if you’re curious.

The Canadian Medical Association report that links air pollution from fossil fuels to a staggering 92,000 emergency room visits a year is just one of the troubling facts about how air quality is affecting our health, and our health care costs.

Canadians will see a long list of benefits by transitioning to renewable energy. Research indicates it will create 200,000 new jobs in the energy sector and the conversion of 500,000 fossil fuel-related jobs into clean energy jobs. Air pollution from burning fossil fuels would be eliminated, energy prices would stabilize, and the country would save more than $100 billion every year.

On the other hand, no amount of wishful thinking is going to help a new pipeline turn stranded assets into economic opportunity for the future. The argument that a new pipeline is a smart investment is total bunk.

Brant GreenDrinks is a great way to meet new people and enjoy the company of good friends. So bring a friend and look forward to meeting new friends. It’s an engaging evening of green thinking, sharing, and networking at its best!

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Community members are invited to discuss the Canadian government’s buyout of Kinder Morgan’s pipeline and tanker project with local members of Parliament.

Excerpts of the film Directly Affected: Pipeline Under Pressure will be screened.

Following the film, Rev. Rosalyn Kantaht’nta Elm (Oneida Nation, and a priest serving the Anglican parish of Six Nations) will join Chief Myeengun Henry (Chippewas of the Thames) and Dr. Angela Carter (BSIA Fellow and Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at UW) to reflect on the film and lead a discussion.

Doors open at 5:30, plan to arrive by 5:45 to enjoy some snacks and find a seat. This event is free, with donations accepted to help cover the costs of the venue.